I Know You
by Allanna Stone
Summary: When Archer Rose heads to New York to find her birth mom, she finds herself using the dangerous skills she was born with for survival. But what happens when she breaks a sacred promise she made towards her last friend, meets the Avengers, and finds her birth mom?
1. Chapter 1

**I Know You**

**I only own Archer Rose**

**SUMMARY:**

**When Archer Rose heads to New York to find her birth mom, she finds herself using the dangerous skills she was born with for survival. But what happens when she breaks a sacred promise she made towards her last friend, meets the Avengers, and finds her birth mom?**

It was a beautiful day in mid September as Archer Rose stepped off the subway and trotted up the stairs to be reintroduced to the blinding sun. As the sixteen year old teen stepped onto the sidewalk of her favorite city, she found herself smiling at the hustle and bustle of the city that never slept.

She walked for sixteen blocks before finding the store she wanted. She took a deep breath, preparing herself for the worst before stepping inside.

"Hello, can I help you, miss?" asked a cheerful woman who was walking around, checking to see if anyone needed help.

"Yes, I would like some help, if you don't mind," stated the redhead girl, huffing an unruly strand from her green-blue eyes as she reached into her backpack and came up with a velvet box, which she opened to reveal a stunning charm bracelet. "I want to know who made this."

The woman took the box and led Archer Rose towards a back room, where she examined the charm bracelet under a magnifying glass. After examining it for fifteen minutes, she handed the dainty charm bracelet back to the young girl with a smile.

"This appears to be a custom job done by Mr. Blake Grettings. He is a rather well respected and known jewelry in Upper Manhattan. I can get you his card if you would like to talk to him," smiled the kindly saleslady before shuffling through a small stack of cards and handling one over to Archer Rose.

"Thank you," smiled the girl before taking her leave. Once she was outside, she opened her cell phone and went to the map app, where she scanned in the address on the card and began to walk.

~xoXox~

About an hour into her journey, Archer Rose was jerked from her thoughts by what sounded like a battle.

"Really? A reenactment of some battle fought in the Civil War?" she muttered, changing her direction slightly to see what was going on.

What she found stunned her.

An iron robot like man, a woman in black leather with guns, a man in strange armor and carrying a lethal looking hammer, a guy with a bow and arrow filled quiver, a man dressed in red white and blue and a giant green thing were fight what looked like giant robots.

The teen heard yells for help and saw that there were civilians trapped in a collapsed building. She looked and saw that the coast was clear so she sprinted across the street and skidded to a stop outside of the building and began to pull rocks from the entrance.

"Hold on!" she shouted as she used her body weight to move a particularly heavy boulder. She grunted as her muscles strained to remove the boulder from the entrance and finally move it, freeing the people trapped inside. "Go!" she shouted once she was certain that the coast was clear. She took out her own weapon- a collapsible crossbow- and placed it on her shoulder, firing at the threat. She grinned as her arrows hit robot after robot, ignoring anything else until she felt something gaze her bare arm. She yelped as she looked over and saw a nasty gash that would require stitched.

"Holy fucking Jesus," she muttered before returning to destroying the robots. It took the Avengers (she recognized them from the comic books that a kid was reading on the subway) only five minutes to realize that they had a new alley and that she was injured; but she still kept fighting bravely, not stopping until all the robots were destroyed.

She re-collapsed her crossbow with much practice before ripping her hair scarf from her head and using it as a makeshift bandage. She then looked up and saw the Avengers were approaching her.

Archer Rose panicked and made a run for it, clutching her backpack to her chest as she weaved her way through the maze of streets. And then she tripped and went sprawling on her bad arm. She grimaced in pain as she forced herself to stand and keep running, but it was too late.

The man with the bow and arrow caught up to her and blocked her, causing for her to slide under his leg and pop up on the other side, still sprinting for all her life's worth. She kept running until she saw a church.

_Perfect_, she thought as she crossed the street in an attempt to reach the safe spot.

However before she could reach the doors, she was picked up and rose into the sky, the iron robot man holding onto her. She squeaked as he settled her into his arms as he flew off towards an impressive tower. They landed on the roof where the man's mask rose up to reveal a friendly face.

"Let me see," he ordered and Archer Rose showed him her arm. He sucked in a breath at the blood oozing from the wound, surprised that she hadn't fallen down in a dead faint or anything. "Shit- let's get you to Dr. Banner."

Archer Rose followed the man as he walked through a staircase that removed his armor, revealing none other than Tony Stark. He whisked her past hallways and doors before coming to a glass door that slid open to reveal a miniature hospital of sorts.

"I see you were able to catch her," dryly remarked Hawkeye, who was being treated for a face injury and some scratches. Black Widow stood off to one side, observing the scrawny man who was holding an icepack to one side of the archer's face.

"She was almost inside a church," was all that Tony said before pointing to a bed next to Hawkeye. Archer Rose moved slowly, her eyes darting from place to place as she perched herself on the side of the bed, looking ready to take flight if anything should spook her.

"Alright, let's see what happened to you," smiled the man as the girl carefully unwrapped her arm once more, wincing as the cool air brushed it. "It's gonna need stitches," he muttered, looking it over. "I'll clean it too, just to be on the safe side."

"Thanks," mumbled Archer Rose. "How long will it take?"

"Maybe an hour?" answered the doctor, coming back with a numbing cream, heavy duty needle and thread, a syringe with water and antibacterial cream.

Archer Rose was quiet for the entire hour the doctor stitched her up, taking her chance to examine the other people in the room, who were doing the same to her.

Hawkeye was a rugged man, with dark brown hair, green-blue eyes and tanned skin. He wore a leather vest and had his bow and quiver of arrows on the floor within easy reach if anything should call for it. Black Widow was a pretty woman with red curls that were shoulder length, hazel- brown eyes, and a no- nonsense attitude about her. She spotted Archer Rose eyeing her handgun and quickly jammed them into their holsters at her hips before walking out of the room. Tony Stark was handsome enough for an older man, with dark hair, a goatee, and kind brown eyes. Dr. Banner was a thin man with mousy brown hair and a certain kindness around him.

"Okay, we're done," announced Dr. Banner, watching as Archer Rose jumped off the table and headed for the door without a word. "Wait a minute- where do you think you're going?"

"I need to talk to a jeweler by the name of Blake Grettings- it's of great importance," was all that she said before reaching for the door again.

"Hey, wait, won't you?" Tony interrupted her. "Mr. Grettings shop is closed for the night- why don't you stay with us for the night and in the morning I can send someone with you." Just as Archer Rose was about to say no, he quickly added, "Just think of it as being a thank you for saving our asses out there today."

"Okay," was all that Archer Rose said as Tony led her from the hospital and towards a spare guest bedroom. After saying thank you, she found herself looking at an elegant bedroom that was decorated in blue and silver and had black furniture. The girl placed her travel worn backpack on the bed and slung her quiver onto the side table before sitting to tug off her boots. They had been her only pair of shoes for six years, and while they were just a bit loose (she got them at a second hand shop and wore multiple layers of socks to cushion her sensitive feet), they had been with her through thick and thin. The leather was scuffed and looked like it had survived a trip to hell and back.

Archer Rose sighed as she shrugged off her bloodied shirt, tossing it into a random corner of the room, along with her torn skinny jeans. She placed her prized leather jacket onto the bed carefully as she rummaged around in her backpack for the long shirt she wore to bed.

Archer Rose smiled as she slipped in between the covers of the bed, happy that she was at least not sleeping on the ground or in a pile of hay.

~xoXox~

The following morning when Archer Rose woke up, she found that someone had laundered her clothes from the day before and folded them neatly on a plush chair. She pulled on her torn skinny jeans and punky skulls and spider webs crop top before grabbing her boots, jacket, quiver and backpack and leaving the room, following her nose towards food.

She quickly found herself in what could only be described as a dining room/ kitchen/ TV room combination. There was a large flat screen TV with game consoles and DVDs stacked below on shelves; giant comfy looking couches were spread about. Behind the couches was a giant dining table and open kitchen, where Dr. Bruce Banner was cooking breakfast. Archer Rose noticed that the Avengers were spread out in different areas doing their own thing.

"Morning!" called out Tony, looking up from a coffee and reading the paper. "How are you?"

"OK," she answered shyly, standing in the doorway awkwardly. "Thanks for letting me crash for the night."

"You mind if I see that crossbow?" asked Hawkeye, standing and walking closer. Archer Rose handed him her quiver with one hand and had to hide a smirk as his arm dipped down from the unexpecting weight of the quiver. "How do you carry this? You look like a twig!" he grunted, taking out the crossbow and snapping it into place with a well practiced flick of his wrist. Archer Rose only hoisted the quiver up onto her back with one hand to answer his question.

"I've lived on the road for the past few years, working random jobs for food and shelter; that's how I earned my strength, muscles and skills," answered Archer Rose in a casual voice, taking an arrow out to toy with it, one of her many nervous quirks. She turned to Tony, who had set her cup down to listen to her. "If you don't mind, after breakfast can I go to Blake Gretting's shop?"

"Can I ask why?" Tony questioned, taking another sip of his coffee.

"I want to find my birth mom and the only clue I have to go on is a charm bracelet I had since I was a baby. I was told it belonged to her before she put me up for adoption," answered Archer Rose in a quiet voice, trying not to sniffle.

"I can take her, Tony," volunteered Hawkeye as Dr. Banner called out that breakfast was ready.

Over pancakes, eggs and fruit, Archer Rose sat tight and quiet as she listened to everyone chatter and joke around, getting a feel for who everyone was. Tony Stark was Iron Man (no duh there); the red head Russian woman was Black Widow, AKA Natasha; Hawkeye was introduced as being Clint Barton; Dr. Bruce Banner was the Hulk; Thor was, well, Thor; and Captain America was Steve Rogers.

Archer Rose finished her fifth plate of food and stood to place her plate into the dishwasher, however Bruce snatched it from her before she could make it into his domain.

"I have never seen anyone eat that much, next to Thor," announced Natasha with a small smile.

"We must have an eating contest!" boomed the Norse god, grinning from ear to ear.

Everyone laughed at his comment, leaving Archer Rose to smile softly as Clint led her to the underground garage to get into a car. Archer Rose's mouth dropped open at the number of expensive cars that were crowded inside the spacious garage.

"I had the same look on my face, kid," chuckled Clint, steering the teen over to a dark green Porsche and opening the passenger door for her to climb in. After passing the horrid New York traffic, he pulled into a small jewelry shop, where Archer Rose asked him to wait. "Sure, I can do that- it's personal for you, kid," he smiled at her as she nodded her thanks at him before entering the small, well kept shop.

A bell tinkled as she entered the jewelers and she wished she would've came the day before.

There were three thugs, all armed with firearms, one of them had the owner at gunpoint and the other two were grabbing jewels and stuffing them into bag.

Archer Rose turned to flee, but a loud crack made her yelp before spinning.

A few seconds later, Clint entered the store and found Archer Rose, with a switchblade knife in her hand, a robber bleeding at her feet, as she dodged a few bullets and attacked. The archer joined in the fight before knocking the other two out.

"Call the coppers," ordered Archer Rose, breathing heavily as she tied up the two survivors with the rope that had been used to tie up Blake Grettings, who was thankful that they came in the nick of time.

"Surely there must be something I can do to repay you!" insisted the elderly man, hobbling over to stand behind the counter.

"I have a request." Archer Rose reached into her backpack and came up with the velvet box. "This was a special order that was made for my birth mom. Do you know who ordered it?"

The man opened the box and carefully took out a charm bracelet that had several charms dangling from the slender gold chain.

"Yes, I do remember this, the costumer was very specific about what he wanted- it was for his girl, they traveled a lot together- I think they were documentary people or something like that…" he mumbled, looking at the bracelet beneath a magnifying glass.

"Do you know who he was?" asked Archer Rose, bouncing on the heels of her feet.

"He's standing in the room," chuckled the man before police cars came screaming up to the small shop.

Archer Rose turned to face Clint, who was looking at her with an open mouth.

"Did you…" she asked, holding up the bracelet for him to look at.

"Yeah," he muttered, touching the miniature of the Eiffel Tower. "I had that made for Tasha on our one year anniversary. She told me she lost it though…"

"So that means…" Archer Rose took a timid step towards him. "Are you?" She looked up and was startled to see her own eyes looking back at her.

"Excuse me, but we'll need to have a statement from both of you," interrupted an officer, not realizing what was going on.

"Ok," answered Archer Rose, turning her attention to the paperwork. After filling it out and giving it to the officer, she found herself back outside, waiting next to the Porsche, waiting for Clint to come back out. When he did emerge, he looked different. The lines on his face were smoother and his stern look was smiling as he unlocked the car.

The ride back to the tower was silent, minus the city sounds that leaked through every now and then. When they arrived back at Avenger tower, Archer Rose found herself trapped underneath Clint's arm as he steered her up towards the main room to talk with Natasha. For some reason, she wasn't uncomfortable with the strange man arm's slung over her sholder in a causal manner- she felt, for the first time in her life, safe.

When they arrived, the Russian assassin was waiting, tapping her fingers against the table as her leg bounced up and down rapidly.

"Clint? Are you alright?" she asked, jumping out of her chair and going up to him.

"I'm fine, Tasha. Archer Rose has something that she needs to tell you, though," answered the marksman, turning the attention onto the teen. She gulped and pulled out the box, flicking it open.

When Natasha saw the bracelet, her eyes widened with tears and she choked back a sob.

"Moya malen'kaya devochka," she whispered, hugging the teen. "My little baby girl."

"Why?" asked Archer Rose. "Why didn't you want me?"

The assassin sobbed.

"I did want you- my job would have gotten you killed, Moya malen'kaya printsessa." She stopped hugging her long enough to kiss her. "You have Clint's eyes, my little baby princess."

"But she looks just like you," smiled Clint, kneeling so that he could be a part of the family hug. "Hair and all," he teased her, tugging at a dreadlock. Archer Rose batted his hand away from her wild mane and smiled shyly.

"Now what?" she asked softly.

"Now, you'll live with us!"

The family jumped as Tony entered the room, a wide grin on his face. Natasha looked like she was going to kill him while Archer Rose was ready to bolt.

"I mean, we do need a bit more excitement around here- with Pepper and I expecting our first kid next year, and with Thor and Jane getting married," he continued on. "What's with one more?"

"I don't wish to impose upon your generous hospitality, Mr. Stark," began Archer Rose, backing up towards the door as slowly as possible.

"No, nonsense!" he cried, beaming at her. "It's no trouble at all!"

Archer Rose found herself smiling and relaxing as she leaned against her father's side as she listened to the three adults prattle on about her living situation.

She smiled softly to herself.

At last, she had found a home.


	2. Chapter 2

**I Know You**

**I only own Archer Rose**

**SUMMARY:**

**When Archer Rose heads to New York to find her birth mom, she finds herself using the dangerous skills she was born with for survival. But what happens when she breaks a sacred promise she made towards her last friend, meets the Avengers, and finds her birth mom?**

The following day after discovering that there would be a new addition to the Avenger family, Archer Rose tumbled out of her new bedroom, yawning as she shuffled towards the kitchen. Once again, she was dressed in her ratty jeans and old t-shirt with her leather boots, leather jacket and head scarf.

"Morning dear," greeted Pepper with a kind smile from where she was laying with her head on Tony's lap. "How did you sleep last night?"

"Better than usual, however that's probably because I was sleeping in an actual bed," replied Archer Rose breezily as though it was the most natural thing to say. She wandered into the kitchen, where Bruce was cooking once more. He offered her a smile which she returned as she snagged a piece of buttered toast from behind him and ran to the living room, falling down on the floor, giggling like crazy at the look on his face.

"You little thief!" he hollered, causing for her to cram the toast in her mouth and stick her tongue out at him.

"I may be a great deal of things, Dr. Banner, but a thief is not one of them," she teased him lightly before noticing the person who she wanted was absent from the morning group. "Where's Natasha?"

"She's out on a mission and won't be back until next week," answered Clint, watching his daughter as she ran through her morning stretches, which for some reason, fascinated him.

"Oh." Everyone could see how disappointed Archer Rose was at the announcement.

"Kiddo!" called out Tony. "You know that room you've been sleeping in? It's yours to keep. Feel free to decorate it any way you want."

"Thanks," smiled the girl before returning to her stretching.

She didn't notice the way that Pepper shot a look at Clint.

"Archer Rose? Do you want to do something today?" asked the marksman.

"Sure," she answered, popping herself back up onto her feet with a quick snapping motion of her legs before going into a backbend. "What do you want to do?"

"I'll do whatever you want to do," replied Clint.

~xoXox~

"_I am Merida, firstborn descendant of C;an Dun Broch, and I'll be competing for my own hand!_" quoted Archer Rose, smiling as she and Clint left the movie theater.

"I can't believe that you've never seen a Disney Movie before!" Clint shook his head at her free spirited daughter, who was walking backwards so that she could talk to him face-to-face and walk at the same time.

"I've never had the time, to be honest," replied Archer Rose before spinning around a few times to walk next to her newfound father. "I was either working or on the road."

"How long were you on the road?" asked Clint, interested in learning more about his daughter.

"Well, I ran away from foster care when I was eight, somehow or other made it from Washington to New Jersey, where I worked at a yearlong camp for handicapped kids from age ten to fifteen before the camp was foreclosed," answered Archer Rose casually. "I learned all kinds of cool skills while I was living at Camp Hope- archery, horseback riding, fencing, tree climbing, music… you name it, I can probably do it."

Clint smiled as he listened to his little girl open up about Camp Hope. He understood how she felt about the place- it was her first home for five years. He felt the same way towards his small town in Utah- fiercely protective and loving. As the father-daughter duo walked through Central Park, Clint looked over to see his little girl's shirt wasn't intended to be a crop top; it was too small for her. He made a mental note for Natasha and Pepper to take her shopping. He still found himself glaring at all the guys who were taking note of her firm body.

"You don't have to do that, you know."

Clint was jerked from his thoughts by Archer Rose, who was walking besides him. "I've handled my fair share of handsy guys."

"How?" asked Clint, glaring at a high school punk.

"I hurt them so bad that they need to go to the hospital- I like to teach 'em a lesson so that they won't think of doing it again," she answered cryptically. She stomach rumbled in agreement, causing for her to go bright crimson.

"Well, no wonder your hungry- it's already one in the afternoon," chuckled the master marksman, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Come on, I know of a great burger joint."

~xoXox~

"How's your burger?" asked Clint.

Archer Rose wiped her mouth with her arm before answering. "One of the best I've ever had!" She grinned cheekily at him as she popped a fry into her mouth. "And that's coming from a girl who only had burgers once a month in the summers."

"Why?" asked Clint, sipping at his vanilla shake.

"Staff barbeques," explained Archer Rose, gulping down her chocolate shake with much gusto.

"Archer Rose- that's an interesting name," mused Clint, putting money into the sleeve when the waitress handed him the bill.

"It's 'cuz I came up with it. You see, when I first arrived at Camp Hope, I tried my luch at the archery range and kept landing bulls eyes. Hence the name Archer, and my favorite flowers are roses," she explained, standing and following him out the door as they were both swept back out into the city life.

"You know, I;m going to get you something," announced Clark as they came to the same Tiffany's where Archer Rose found out where her bracelet was made.

"You really don't have to," protested the girl as they entered.

"Hello, can I help you today?" asked the sale clerk. "Oh, it's you again! Did you find your mom?"

It took Archer Rose a moment to recognize the woman as being the one who led her to her parents.

"Yeah, I found my parents, thanks for remembering," smiled the girl, leaning into Clint.

Clint was looking around the store as his daughter chit-chatted with the woman when he spotted a charm bracelet with several charms surrounding it. He smiled as he quickly had the bracelet customized and wrapped before handing over the money for it.

When he found Archer Rose again, she was out in the streets, leaning against the building as she watched people hustle to get to their destination.

"Archer Rose," Clint called out, stepping from the store, his present tucked in his jacket. "Come on, what do you want to do next?"

"I don't know!" she laughed as they passed by several Broadway psters. She paused before the ones of _The Phantom of the Opera_ and _Wicked_ and ran her hand down the paper. "I went and saw these shows as chaperones for Camp Hope," she explained. "They were amazing."

"Noted," replied Clint before looking at his watch, it was already four o'clock, and he wanted to get Archer Rose home before darkness fell at six.

"Do you think Tony could arrange for a day at a farm? I miss riding a horse," suddenly piped up Archer Rose.

"I think he owns a ranch somewhere," answered Clint as they walked past several dark alleyways. He noticed that she pressed herself closer to him as they passed by the danger zones.

He was surprised at how quickly the city became dark. When they arrived back at the tower, it was already 6:15, and the only thing lighting their way home were street lamps and the occasional headlights of passing taxis.

A sudden roar of an engine made Archer Rose tunr and whoop as a 1946 Harley growl to a stop.

"Nice ride," she whistled between her teeth as she inspected the bike with an admiring eye.

"Thanks," smiled Steve awkwardly, eyeing Agent Barton, who stood there, observating the two youths.

"You go inside- I'll catch up in a few minutes," insisted the girl, not taking her eyes off the bike. Clint went to open his mouth and was rewarded with the eye. "Go," was all that Archer Rose said.

"You want a ride to the garage?" asked Steve, blushing when Archer Rose's green-blue eyes. Her only reply was to jump on behind him and wrap her arms around his waist.

Steve jumped at the sudden actions before gunning the moter and roaring off towards the garage on the other side of the building. He entered fifteen minutes later, smiling at Archer Rose's shrieks of joy as he sped around sharp corners and through tight traffic.

"That was so much fun!" she grinned, hopping off the bike expertly and standing next to him with her hands jammed into her pockets.

"Thanks- I'm glad you liked the detour," teased Steve. He had purposely taken the long route, not because of the horrid traffic, but just because he liked the feeling of her arms around him.

"I can fix the brake for you and make it not stick," she offered him.

"Tell you what- you can help me, ok?" answered Steve as he placed the kickstand down and got off.

"Sounds like a plan," answered Archer Rose, backing away and bumping into someone.

"What sounds like a plan?" asked Natasha, pulling off her helmet and dropping it as Archer Rose dove into her arms.

"You are not going to beleive what happened today!" beamed the girl as her mother hid a look of horror.

"Please tell me that it didn't involve Tony, Steve or Thor," she muttered as Steve slipped away.

"Huh?" Archer Rose cocked her head as they went towards the elevator.

"Thor generally destroys something, Steve sometimes offends someone and Tony…" she trailed off as her daughter began to crack up.

"Strike one," she teased her as they reached the girl's undecorated bedroom.

"I'll tell you about it after dinner, ok?" called out the girl as she vanished inside to wash up.

Natasha shook her head as she stood outside Archer Rose's bedroom.


	3. Chapter 3

**I Know You**

**I only own Archer Rose**

**SUMMARY:**

**When Archer Rose heads to New York to find her birth mom, she finds herself using the dangerous skills she was born with for survival. But what happens when she breaks a sacred promise she made towards her last friend, meets the Avengers, and finds her birth mom?**

"Why are you home so early?" Archer Rose asked Natasha over dinner.

"The mission went bad and I had to bail," was all that the Russian redhead offered her daughter, passing the basket of garlic knots to Clint, who sat next to her. The newest addition to the tower saw her father tense and place his hand on Natasha's leg. She shook her head at the clear glass table that they were eating at and was poked in the side by Tony, making her yelp loudly and almost karate chop the table.

"Jesus, was that really necessary?" she scowled.

"Wanted your attention!" was all that the multi billionaire said, holding up his hands in the I surrender pose. Archer Rose snorted as she dug into her pasta.

"Well you have it now- speak or forever hold your peace," she grumbled.

"It came to my notice that you only have one pair of clothes- I can arrange a trip to the mall, if you want," suggested Tony casually, nibbling at his bread.

"Thanks," smiled the girl, standing to dump her plate in the dishwasher. She collected Thor and Bruce's plates and silverware as she passed them. "I worked as a waitress at a big shot restaurant in New Jersey after Camp Hope was foreclosed," she explained. "Unfortunately, I didn't really learn to cook, but I did love to bake." She chuckled as she placed everything away in the dishwasher. "I put all the bakeries in the area to shame."

"Pepper has a real sweet tooth as of lately," mused Tony. "What can you make?"

"Anything and everything," answered the sixteen year old girl, coming back for Steve's plate. "I can make some samplers tomorrow and see what you like."

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble," interrupted the five month pregnant woman, blushing as she felt the baby kicking her.

"Oh no, not at all Pepper!" smiled the girl before Bruce stood and shooed her out of the kitchen, out of habit more than anything. Archer Rose had learned that Bruce was very over protective over the kitchen, which was his domain. "Besides, I do enjoy baking!"

"Oh joy," muttered Bruce dramatically, causing for everyone to lose it.

"Clint?" Archer Rose asked timidly after everyone had calmed down some. "Can we have a shooting match?"

Clint smiled down at his daughter, who stood a good foot and a half shorter than he was. She was his little princess- who was he to deny her anything her heart should ever desire?

"Are you sure? Clint is an expert marksman," pointed out Natasha, smiling as he elbowed her side lightly.

"She wants to have a match, then we'll have a match," he announced as Archer Rose yawned quietly behind her hand, exhausted from the day's adventure with her father.

"Tomorrow," Natasha stated firmly. "But now it's bedtime."

"Oh Archer Rose? I laid out one of Clint's shirts for you to sleep in until you can go shopping. I hope that's alright with you," Tony interrupted.

"Excuse me? You went through my things and took one of my shirts without permission?" Clint looked pissed beyond words as he wheeled on the multi billionaire, who was quickly rethinking his words.

"Thank you Tony, but I don't mnd sleeping in my birthday suit," she causally stated, causing for Steve to choke on his tea and sputter, his face a bright cherry color.

"No, don't do that- you can borrow my shirt." Clint's anger boiled down at his daughter's words, giving Tony the all clear for the time being. Tony caught Archer Rose's eye and made a motion that the sixteen year old caught all too well.

_I owe you._

~xoXox~

The following morning, Archer Rose found herself at the mall with her mother, who insisted that her daughter needed a new wardrobe. To the redhead assassin's interest, Archer Rose tended for darker and muted colors like cobalt blue, deep red, royal purple, black and grey, with hints and pops of brighter colors. She also went for elements such as skulls and spider webs, head scarves, and boots. She wrinkled her nose at dresses and heels, stating that the only purpose they held was to make it harder to get away from trouble. Archer Rose still put on a few dresses to please her mother, who claimed that she looked good in everything.

Archer Rose just about had a heart attack when Natasha paid for their purchases at the first store. To her, it was a lot of money to spend on clothes, shoes and accessories, but the only thing that she did was let out a soft squeak of shock at the total price.

Store after store they went into until Archer Rose was about to die of stick shock. To her relief, the final stop was a small café to grab a quick bite to eat before heading back to the tower.

"So how was the shopping experience?" asked Natasha excitedly. For the longest time, it had only been her when it came to shopping; then she met Pepper, only now she was seven months pregnant and of close to no use when it came to shopping in New York.

"Overwhelming," answered Archer Rose within a heartbeat, making her mother burst into loud laughter.

"That happened to me the first time I went shopping in New York, too," she chuckled.

As they were leaving the café, Archer Rose noticed something on a billboard and went to go see what it was.

"What is it?" asked Natasha, coming up behind her daughter.

It was a MISSING CHILD poster for an eight year old girl from California. She was described as being three foot four inches tall, slender, with dark red curls and green-blue eyes.

"That's me," she muttered, stabbing at the flyer with a finger. The name on the paper was Emily Black.

Natasha was silent as Archer Rose left the café with her, not knowing what to say. It wasn't until they arrived at Avenger tower did Archer Rose speak.

"Can you help me put everything away?" she asked as they began to load the elevator with the packages they had delivered to the tower instead of hoisting them around with them while they trekked across the city.

~xoXox~

Archer Rose took a deep breath before releasing and smirking when her arrow went straight into a bull's eye.

"Nice," whistled Clint as his daughter loaded three arrows and sent the all off flying towards different targets, all thudding into the center.

"I can shoot and ride at the same time, like Merida," she informed him bashfully. She had seen what he could do with his weapon of choice, and she was cowed by his skill. She knew that even if she gave it more than her all, she would never be as good as Clint Barton.

"That's more than what I can do." He ruffled her messy braid, making her giggle as he watched her do next-to-impossible tricks that included shooting an arrow through four Aspirin tablets at the same time and knocking the ash from a cigar off. "You got skill and guts, I'll hand it to you."

From a hidden camera, Director Nick Fury watched as Archer Rose showed off for her father.


	4. Chapter 4

**I Know You**

**I only own Archer Rose**

**SUMMARY:**

**When Archer Rose heads to New York to find her birth mom, she finds herself using the dangerous skills she was born with for survival. But what happens when she breaks a sacred promise she made towards her last friend, meets the Avengers, and finds her birth mom?**

Archer Rose smiled as she snuggled next to Clint and Natasha. It was a beautiful Sunday morning and after breakfast (which Archer Rose made), the family of three was now calmly snoozing.

Until a loud siren sent Clint and Natasha catapulting out of bed.

"What was that?" asked Archer Rose, hopping out of the bed and following her parents as they ran through the halls before entering a doorway. The sixteen year old girl entered as well and saw Clint and Natasha were getting dressed in their uniforms.

"Hawkeye, Black Widow, there's a group of escaped government made robots on the loose," squawked Iron Man's voice over the intercoms. "We're heading out to do damage control."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" asked Archer Rose from the doorway.

"Stay out of the way," grunted Clint, holding out an arm, to which Archer Rose folded herself into. "I just found you; I couldn't bear the thought of you getting killed," he whispered into her ear.

Archer Rose bit her tongue as the image of her father, laying dead somewhere, sprang into mind. Even though she loved both her parents dearly, she felt a special bond between Clint and herself.

"Stay safe," whispered Archer Rose, pulling back.

"I love you, moya malen'kaya printsessa," whispered Natasha, kissing her daughter's forehead as they embraced. Archer Rose also shared a bond with her mother, even though she felt closer to Clint emotionally. With Natasha, it was more of a physical relationship- brushing and braiding hair, hugs…

"Don't get killed," whispered Archer Rose as they broke away.

"I'm too good at my job to get killed," smirked Natasha as the two adults left the room at a brisk trot, leaving Archer Rose alone.

~xoXox~

Archer Rose blew an unruly curl from her eyes as she aimed her crossbow at the target and released. The arrow whizzed into the center of the target, making her smile with glee. If there wasn one thing she loved most in the world, it was spending time with her crossbow.

The sixteen year old girl though back to the past two days- the best two days of her life. When she had first started out on her quest of find her birth mom, she only wanted to see what she looked like, and if she was lucky, ask questions. But to her shock, she got more then she was expecting.

A home.

A family.

And most importantly, she found not only her mom, but her dad as well.

Archer Rose froze as she heard someone enter the range. She unstrung her crossbow and pointed it down. She looked at the only entrance and saw the outline of a man making his way into the large soundproof room.

He was a dark skinned man with an eye patch and a trench coat. He looked harmless enough, but Archer Rose still followed him with a wary eye.

"Hello, Emily," he greeted her.

Archer Rose winced. She hadn't been called that in a long time.

"'ello," she mumbled shyly as he stepped into a firing booth. He pulled out a wide array of weapons from his pockets and lied them down on the table. Archer Rose stared at everything with wide open eyes- how did he fit all that into his jacket?

"You know how to shoot?" he asked her kindly, firing a small .45. Archer Rose shook her head and held up her crossbow and an arrow.

"I know how yto shoot these, sir," she answered him bashfully.

"Show me," he ordered her.

Archer Rose first started off by firing three arrows in rapid succession, each one splitting the arrow before it. Then she did some fancy tricks that she picked up while working at Camp Hope.

"You show potential," was all that the dark skinned man said.

"Potential for what?" asked Clint in a low voice as he entered the range and pushed his daughter behind him.

"Agent Barton, your daughter was just showing me what she could do with her crossbow," acknowledged the man.

"You're avoiding the question," growled Clint. "Potential for what?"

"Be become an agent once she's of age," answered the dark skinned man. "Of course, the decision would be entirely up to her."

"No," growled the marksman. "I don't like the idea of my daughter out in the field, where its dangerous and she could get killed!"

"Clint, I hate to break it to you, but I helped you out a few days ago; doesn't that count?" asked Archer Rose, looking up at her father's steel cold gaze. "I'm not going to do anything stupid, I'm just saying that I could be an asset to the team…" She looked away from the furious look on his face. "Or maybe not…"

She quickly gathered up her crossbow and quiver of arrows before scrambling from the room as fast as she could. She hated it when people got angry at each other and blew up. It made her feel like she was back in her last foster home…

"Stop it!" she loudly ordered herself. "That was in the past. You're never returning to that God damned hellhole ever again!"

She finally reached her bedroom and sat on the bed, sighing as she leaned her elbows on her knees and bowed her head into her hands and allowed the tears to fall.

"I hate you," she whispered as she lifted her shirt to glare at the scars that still branded her.


	5. Chapter 5

**I Know You**

**I only own Archer Rose**

**SUMMARY:**

**When Archer Rose heads to New York to find her birth mom, she finds herself using the dangerous skills she was born with for survival. But what happens when she breaks a sacred promise she made towards her last friend, meets the Avengers, and finds her birth mom?**

Archer Rose hesitated before knocking on the door.

"Enter," called out a gruff voice. She did as ordered to and stood in front of Director Nick Fury's desk nervously.

_Why did I think this would be a good idea?_ Archer Rose wailed inside her mind as she once more rehearsed what she wanted to ask the gruff man.

"Sir, I was wondering if I could start up a program where the Avnegers go and visit terminally sick children in hospitals?" she asked timidly, fiddling with a small scar she had on the inside of her left palm.

"Why?" asked the man, sitting down and motioning for the young girl to do so herself.

Archer Rose took a deep breath. "While I was working at camp Hope, quite a few of the kids there express interest in the team. My only regret is that I didn't know that Clint and Natasha were my parents or else I would've made their last wishes come true. Since you don't work with Make-a-Wish, I thought it would be nice if the team could at least make kids happy…" She trailed off, realizing that she was rambling.

"I see that you have a kind heart, Archer Rose," smiled the director. "Of course, I'll have to put in a request, but I think I can work something out."

"Thank you, sir," smiled Archer Rose happily before standing to leave.

"One more thing," he called out, his voice now serious. Archer Rose turned from the door and gave him her full undivided attention. "If you want to join the Avengers when you come of age, then you must start training now. Choose a weapon and stick to that, but also branch out into other area if you can. Train with everyone else, familiarize yourself with different types of weapons, and learn hand-to-hand combat."

"Yes sir, thank you for the advice," smiled Archer Rose before disappearing out the door.

The director sighed as he rubbed his eyes. She would make one hell of an Avenger.

~xoXox~

Archer Rose looked up as Nick Fury entered the main room. The other Avengers were scattered about; Steve was reading a book, Bruce was in the kitchen, Natasha and Pepper were busy fussing over details for the baby shower, Tony was laughing at the two woman, Thor was eating Pop-Tarts and Clint was watching a movie with his daughter.

"Attention," thundered the man, snapping all eye onto him, "It has been approved for the Avengers to visit Children's Hospitals and spend time with the kids there."

This caused a negative uproar from Tony and Bruce, which caused for Archer Rose to leave the room in tears.

"Did I mention the idea was Archer Rose's?" asked the director, causing for both Clint and Natasha to glare evil daggers at the two men.

"That changes everything," muttered Tony, setting his cup of coffee down to back away from the furious eyes of Natasha Romanoff. If anything, he was more scared of her than of Clint.

"Everyone, spread out and find her!" barked Clint, sending everyone every which way, calling for the pint sized archer.

She was found, three hours later, in the library, putting back books that she had selected for the team to read to the kids.

"I knew it was a stupid idea," she sniffled to Steve without even turning around. "I just… I just wanted to make them smile again. Is that so wrong of me? Does that make me a bad person?"

"I like the idea," he stated, causing for her to turn her head. "The idea kinda reminds me of when I was used as for propaganda in the World War II."

"You think Tony and Bruce will come around?" she asked quietly, looking down at Clifford the Big Red Dog.

"They'll have to, if they want to keep their lives," he answered, noticing the way her blue-green eyes sparkled with tears even as she struggled to keep them in.

"Steve I-" she began before she was cut off by JARVIS's voice.

"Miss Archer Rose, Mr. Rogers, the team is on their way to your location."

Archer Rose began to crack up.

"What is it?" Steve asked her.

"Mr. Rogers…" she choaked out before giving into yet another peal of laughter.


	6. Chapter 6

**I Know You**

**I only own Archer Rose**

**SUMMARY:**

**When Archer Rose heads to New York to find her birth mom, she finds herself using the dangerous skills she was born with for survival. But what happens when she breaks a sacred promise she made towards her last friend, meets the Avengers, and finds her birth mom?**

Archer Rose sat up in bed with a soft gasp of fear. Without even stopping to think, she jumped out of bed and made a beeline for her parents' bedroom. She softly opened the door and made her way towards her father's side of the bed, only to find that he wasn't there.

Archer Rose heard a click and slowly turned her head to see a gun pointed at her.

"Natasha?" she squeaked, terrified.

"Oh, I'm sorry baby- it's just instincts," apologized the Russian assassin, putting her weapon away in a drawer in her nightstand. "What's the matter?"

"I had a nightmare," muttered Archer Rose. For the first time, Natasha realized that her daughter had the mentality of a child. She patted the bed and covered her daughter with a blanket when she crawled in besides her. "Where's Clint?"

"He got call out on a classified mission about three hours ago," murmured the mother, playing with her daughter's abundance of curls.

"When will he be back?" asked the sixteen year old girl, leaning into her mother's embrace.

"Don't know- his missions last anywhere from three days to a month," answered Natasha, feeling her daughter's emotions rolling off her like a radiator.

"I hope he's alright," whispered Archer Rose, sniffing her shirt. Natasha realized it was one of Clint's shirts, presumably the one that Tony "stole" for Archer Rose to wear to sleep.

"You want to talk about your nightmare?" Natasha asked her softly before frowning. She pulled up the sleeve of the shirt. "Archer Rose, do you mind taking off Clint's shirt?"

Archer Rose sighed and stood up.

"It's not a bad now," she warned her mother, removing the garment. "I know, it's an eyeful when you first see it…"

Natasha was horrified.

Her little baby was scarred from abuse.

No wonder she acted like a child at times.

"Who did this?"

Archer Rose flinched back at the hard steel in her mother's voice.

"It doesn't matter anymore-" she started to say, but Natasha cut her off.

"It doesn't matter? Archer Rose, who did this to you?" asked Natasha again, struggling to calm the fury in her voice.

"He did it to all the kids- the girls got it the worst end of it. I was lucky that I escaped when I did," she finally caved in, crumpling to the floor in a disorganized heap. "Every night, he would pick a girl to go into the master bedroom with him. There was nothing we could do. I only escaped so that I could go to the coppers and tell them about what was going on. The coppers busted in on his just as he was about to rape a girl a little older than I was at the time and he got slammed into the coffers for life. I ran away after the trial though- made sure no one could find me. I'm not useless- I showed him, I used all my skills and tricks to escape!" Archer Rose rambled, at this point in hysterics.

Natasha didn't know what to think, or say, or do. She stood and walked over to her daughter, guiding her back to the bed before calling Dr. Banner.

~xoXox~

"She's suffering from PTSD and is bipolar," announced Bruce after talking to Archer Rose and Natasha. "I would recommend that she goes talk to Dr. Who."

Natasha noticed him blush as he said her name, but wisely didn't comment. She looked over at Archer Rose, passed out on her parent's bed.

"She seems so strong, like nothing can ever hurt her," she whispered as tears leaked from her eyes.

"It's because she doesn't want anyone to see that she is weak," came a tired voice from the doorway. Bruce and Natasha both looked up to see a pretty blonde in a pale pink robe was looking in the room. "Agent Romanoff, Dr. Banner, I'm Dr. Who. I got Dr. Banner's text three minutes ago and raced down here."

"Can you help her?" Natasha begged the doctor.

"She isn't as far gone as she appears to be," chuckled the woman. "I've seen her with Agent Barton- if she was as damaged as you think she is, she wouldn't even be anywhere near him for the matter."

Natasha forced herself to take a breath and calm down. And then another. Pretty soon, she appeared to be hyperventilating and couldn't stop until Dr. Banner called her name and shook her shoulder a few times.

"What do you suggest?" Natasha asked the blonde, looking desperate to help her daughter.

"Weekly therapy sessions with me would be a good place to start," answered the woman sleepily, still not 100% awake. "And also some anti-depressant medication would be good too. Dr. Banner can get those for her."

"I'll get on it as soon as you tell me what kind she needs," announced Bruce with a shy smile.

~xoXox~

The following morning, Archer Rose woke up with a cramped back from sleeping curled in a ball. She hobbled from the bed and found her mother asleep in a chair next to the bed. Not wanting a repeat of the night before, she crept out the door to her bedroom, where she dressed herself for the day in black skinny jeans and a red turtleneck.

She was the first person in the kitchen, so she began to cook breakfast, knowing that Bruce would scold her for making a mess. She smirked, knowing that she would clean up after herself.

The little archer was so lost in thought that she failed to notice anyone had entered the living room until something hit her in the back of the head.

"Oy, what the hell…" Archer Rose turned around with a heavy scowl and saw Tony, sitting in his favorite chair with the daily paper in hand. "Oh, sorry- I thought you were someone else."

"No problem," smiled the multi-billionaire, standing and walking over to the coffee machine to start it. Archer Rose watched him with interest, being too shy to ask how it worked. "Come here won't you?"

An hour later, when Steve, Natasha, Bruce and Pepper entered the spacious room, they found Archer Rose giggling as she loaded up her hot chocolate with marshmallows, stopping every few seconds to eat one or to toss one at Tony, who was hamming it up. He had pulled two NERF guns from God-knows-where and was happily shooting her with the marshmallows that she would fire at him.

Archer Rose fired a creamy puff at him and he opened his mouth, whooping loudly as it entered.

"Nice shot!" he called out.

"Thanks, but I was aiming for your nose!" she teased him, giggling as they chased each other around the room before noticing they had an audience.

"I'll clean it up, I swear!" blushed Archer Rose, holding up her hands in the I surrender pose as Tony froze in midair, his twin guns aimed straight for the back of Archer Rose's head.

"Shit," he squeaked before taking off with the Black Widow on his heels, yelling at him in Russian for pointing NERF guns at her little baby girl.Top of Form

Bottom of Form


	7. Chapter 7

**I Know You**

**I only own Archer Rose**

**SUMMARY:**

**When Archer Rose heads to New York to find her birth mom, she finds herself using the dangerous skills she was born with for survival. But what happens when she breaks a sacred promise she made towards her last friend, meets the Avengers, and finds her birth mom?**

Archer Rose fidgeted as she looked down at her lap. She was sitting in Dr. Who's office for her first session, and was nervous because she didn't know what to expect.

"I have control issues, if nothing is going the way I planned it, I panic," she confessed. "But with finding Clint and Natasha, it was a good kind of out-of-control feeling, you know? But I'm not a control freak. I don't sit and plan everything from second to second, I just kind of carve a path for the water to flow, and if it branches out into separate rivers, then I can freak out." Archer Rose was aware that she was rambling, but found that she couldn't stop. "And also for the longest time, about a year and a half, a jumped from place to place, not wanting to remain in the same place for to long, in case I was found by the system and put back into a situation that I couldn't squirrel my way out of. So for the longest time, I would plan how I would survive- I could go to this town and work here at this auto repair shop for two weeks, stay at this inn, shop for food here, and move on. It was a lonely life, sure, but it was the life I choosed to lead. But all that changed when I went to New Jersey."

Here, Archer Rose paused, ducking her head so that her wild main of red curls covered her face.

"When I first arrived in White Horse, New Jersey, there was this little girl who I quickly befriended. Her dad ran the stables; her mom ran the post office- I worked at both while I stayed there. It wasn't until I was about to leave did I find out that she was dying from cancer, so I changed my plans, stayed with her until she died. Attened the funeral. Her parents thanked me for being there for her when they couldn't- divorced, you see. They then told me about a camp for terminally ill kids that was about a day's walk away- about sixty five miles- I could clear about seventy five miles in a day if I didn't stop for anything and ate while on the road. They told me that this one camp was looking for more staff to work for them, because quite a few people retired from the job. I got there and found out that the parents of the little girl with cancer had put n a good word for me. So for the longest time, five years, I was surrounded by kids who were even more worse off than I was. I wasn't happy, but I was happy at the same time, you know?"

Archer Rose took a deep shuddering breath. "So many of those kids would come, with dreams and ambitions, only not to return the following summer because they were dead." She dug around in her backpack and came up with a scrapbook, which she opened to show kids painting, riding horses, and doing other fun things. "I worked at Camp Hope for five years before it was foreclosed. My home was destroyed in a matter of weeks. I did everything I could to save the place, but in the end, it wasn't enough."

She paused, her fingers on a picture of a little girl giggling as she raced down a zip cord line, her face happy.

"She's one of the lucky miracles, she beat a brain tumor that was eating her alive. She's paralyzed on the left side, but she used to write me letters until the camp closed, telling me about what she was doing. In the last letter I got from her, she had just graduated from the 5th grade and was considering joining choir at her church." Archer Rose sniffled. "It's hard, you know? To be surrounded by kids who don't have a chance of living, unless a miracle happens, knowing that what you went through isn't as bad as what they're going through."

Dr. Who sat quietly as she listened to the sixteen year old girl talk. She could see the pain and anger in her eyes even though her voice was level.

"I would love to reopen Camp Hope, but where can I get the money? I'm too proud to ask Tony to help- I don't like debt, it makes me feel like I'll be waiting for something huge to happen, something out of my control," finished Archer Rose, leaning back in her seat and looking up at the psychologist with big blue-green eyes.

"From what I'm gathering- now correct me if I'm wrong- you haven't found your calling in life because of you past traumas. And to add to that, the loss of all the close friends you made makes you feel inferior to what may lie in store for you, hence your impulse to act on your feet without a plan. And the fact that you like control, but don't describe yourself as being a 'control freak' suggests that you maintained a certain order wherever you traveled. You know where everything is, geologically, physically, mentally and emotionally."

"Sounds about right," answered Archer Rose.

"What I would like for you to do is make a list of things you would like to accomplish in your life- it can be things you want to do next week, or next year, but I would like you to express yourself creatively and with passion." Dr. Who stood, signaling the end of their session.

"Thanks for lending an ear," mumbled Archer Rose shyly.

"That's my job," smiled the blonde.

"Hey Natasha," greeted Archer Rose in a happy, but quiet voice. The redhead assassin stood up and crossed the waiting room to embrace her daughter, smiling when she returned it.

"Archer Rose, I'm going to talk with Agent Romanoff about your session, is that alright with you?" asked Dr. Who. After Archer Rose nodded, the two women entered the office and sat down.

"Well, all I have to say is that it's apparent that Archer Rose led a hard life, more or less equivalent to young adults her age living in third world countries," began Dr. Who. "She doesn't like to become too attached because she'll always move on, but that's not the case here with the Avengers and her. She's finally found a home, a place where she won't have to think about when the next meal's is going to be, or if she'll be sleeping in an actual bed or in a field under the stars with hay as her mattress and her jacket for a blanket. And yes, she did that on several occasions." The doctor took a deep breath before continuing on. "She is physically capable of almost anything, but mentally… I'm surprised that she didn't break down at Camp Hope. Her reason for it was that the kids there were worse off than she was- she wasn't happy, but at the same time she was, if I remember her saying."

"She mentioned that Camp Hope was foreclosed," pressed Natasha.

"Yes, it was. She showed signs of untreated grief when she mentioned her former home, but for the most part, she remained well poised." Dr. Who sighed and removed her glasses to rub her eyes. "She described a few of her jobs to me. A mechanic, a tow truck assistant, a graveyard security guard… the list goes on and on, but I would have to say, physically, that she can handle pretty much anything tossed her way. Emotionally… now that's another story all together. The good news is that she isn't suicidal."

"What's the first step?" Natasha asked, relieved at the good news..

"I assigned her to make a list of goals she wishes to accomplish in the future," answered the blonde before looking at the clock. "I'm sorry- I don't mean to rush you out, but I have another patient I must see."

"No problem, thank you for your time," smiled Natasha, standing to shake the woman's hand before moving out the door to collect Archer Rose and go out for ice cream to talk about how she was going to do the assignment.


	8. Chapter 8

**I Know You**

**I only own Archer Rose**

**SUMMARY:**

**When Archer Rose heads to New York to find her birth mom, she finds herself using the dangerous skills she was born with for survival. But what happens when she breaks a sacred promise she made towards her last friend, meets the Avengers, and finds her birth mom?**

"Tony?"

It was two weeks since Archer Rose's first session with Dr. Who and she figured it was about time that she stop putting this off.

"Yes, kiddo?" the multi billionaire looked up from changing a diaper on a doll. He was getting good about changing a diaper fast while doing a good job.

"I was wondering if I could talk business with you," she spoke nervously. "Now, keep in mind that I've never done anything like this before…"

"I'm all ears." The man picked up the doll and turned to face the girl, who took a deep breath.

"CouldIborrowsomemoneytoreopenCampHope?" she blurted out in a rush.

"Slow down," ordered the man, chuckling.

"Could I borrow some money to reopen Camp Hope? I promise I'll pay you back," she nervously got out after a few minutes of stuttering.

"Okay," answered Tony with a smile. "For a moment, I thought you wanted me to sell you my company or something else like that."

"What would I do with Stark Industries? I don't even know how to run a business, for crying out loud!" yelped the sixteen year old girl,

"I was joking," quickly inserted Tony. He had long since learned that Archer Rose generally didn't get a joke until someone explained it to her. "Sure, I can give you money- don't worry about paying me back- I can plan a business deal for you, unless you've already done that?"

Archer Rose shyly held out the folder in which she had sheets of notebook paper with her tidy, flowy handwriting covering every possible square inch. Tony looked it over and snorted.

"Can't run a business, my ass," he snorted.

"Internet," she explained as Tony took out a pen and went down the numbers with a critical eye. "And going over the numbers with the help of JARVIS. I hate math, I'm not good at it."

"I knew he would come in handy one day," teased Tony, reaching out to tweak her nose. "Looks like you've got everything planned out, kiddo."

"I've also added in some things that Camp Hope didn't have, like a winter program that runs for the two weeks before and after Christmas, which includes sleigh rides, tree decorating..." Archer Rose trailed off, knowing that Tony was reading the page that she was describing.

"Looks like you'll be a swell business woman one day, Archer Rose!" smiled Tony before holding out a hand for her to shake. "Looks like I'm doing business with my youngest partner ever!"

Archer Rose had to fight back the urge to squeal and jump him into a hug, but instead shook his hand.

"So, you're the boss of this one- tell me what you want me to do and I'll do it!" announced Tony.

"First I want to look at the property in New York- it's a half an hour drive away from the city, I looked it up. I need to see if the buildings there are in good shape or if I'm going to need to rebuild from scratch." Archer Rose knew that she was being a bit overdramatic. The worst that Tony would need to pay for, she figured, was mold, vermin control and water damage.

"Okay, I can have you go there with a friend of mine who's better at that then I am. How does that sound?" Tony told her, scowling when the doll started to cry.

"Okay. Can Clint come too?" she asked him.

"Sure," the now panicked man was trying to calm the baby down without any luck.

"Try singing," suggested the girl.

"But I can't sing!" he wailed, bouncing the doll up and down.

"Just try," she insisted. He sighed and began to belt out Billy Joel's Piano Man.

Very off key.

"Oh Lord, stop! You're right, you can't sing!" laughed Archer Rose, plugging her now scarred ears with her fingers.

"Hey, watch it! We're in business together, squirt!" he shouted as she raced off gleefully.


	9. Chapter 9

**I Know You**

**I only own Archer Rose**

**SUMMARY:**

**When Archer Rose heads to New York to find her birth mom, she finds herself using the dangerous skills she was born with for survival. But what happens when she breaks a sacred promise she made towards her last friend, meets the Avengers, and finds her birth mom?**

"Most people don't even realize there's a stable on the property- it's behind these trees because some kids are scared that the horse will come to their cabins at night and eat them while they're asleep!" she had called out as the trio trekked through the dead brush to the stable.

Clint stood to a corner, watching as his little girl ran all over the sprawling 300 acre ranch. It had been taken very well care of evidently enough, most of the damage was to the stable, which would need to be demolished and rebuilt.

"Oh look, more rat damage," called out Archer Rose cheerfully as Susan Wind, Tony's friend who was in the construction business, came over to calculate how much the repair would be.

"So other then the stable, which is a hopeless cause, and the rat damage, and the overgrown plants, and the mold and water damage, how much are we looking at?" Archer Rose asked once they were back at the cars.

Susan took a deep breath.

"Concerning all the health hazards and building codes, I'd estimate it at being around…"

The number shocked Archer Rose so much that she fell onto the ground.

"Seriously?" she squeaked once Clint helped her up.

"I'm afraid so," Susan answered with a small smile.

"Well then, I'll take the numbers back to Tony and see what he wants to do," announced Archer Rose after getting over the initial sticker price shock.

On the ride back to New York, Archer Rose was lost in thought. Clint let her be, knowing that she was thinking deep thoughts about the future of Camp Hope. Clint didn't mind the silence- it was nice to sit in a car with his daughter and not be distracted by her chatter, as he had first imagined it to be. But now, he was realizing that Archer Rose was more than just a girl who shared his DNA.

He was his little princess.

Clint had sat in on a family session with Dr. Who (when he first met her, he sniggered at her name, but didn't comment, figuring that she already got enough teasing for her name), and he was shocked at everything Archer Rose had gone through before they found each other.

Before they became a family.

~xoXox~

"Alright, is everyone ready?" Archer Rose asked in a upbeat voice, bouncing on the heels of her feet.

It was Friday the 12th of October and the first day of Storytime with Superheroes (as the press dubbed the group) and everyone was suited up and ready to go to Children's Hospital.

"Yep, let's move!" grinned Tony, decked out in his Iron Man suit, minus the helmet, which he carried with him. Archer Rose had explained that some kids might be frightened by the mask and not to put it on unless there was either an emergency or if the kids asked nicely.

"This is nostalgic," muttered Steve as the group headed out to the black van that would transport them to the hospital. He had his hood off so that he wouldn't scare the kids either, but Archer Rose assured him that his cutout mask wouldn't be a problem. He told her that he would put it on once they reached the hospital because it made his nose itch like crazy.

"Are you sure about this?" asked Dr. Banner, who would be the only one not going as his alter ego because of all the chaos he normally left behind. Even though he was getting in touch with the other guy, he was still careful about his temper, especially around the emotionally fragile girl.

Thor was happily being… well, Thor. He still didn't have a clue to what he was suppose to do, but promised Archer Rose that he would be on his best behavior, follow what everyone else was doing, and not be too loud.

"I'm driving," announced Clint. Archer Rose had force him and Natasha to substitute their weapons for children safe one; substituting Clint's deadly steel arrows with suction cup ones and Natasha's bullet spitting guns with water guns. But she had told them that their original weapons would be in the van, under the floor, if they needed them.

Archer Rose was the only member of the team who wasn't geared up- part of the reason being because A) she wasn't an official Avenger, B) Clint and Natasha both put their feet down when Tony offered to make her a suit without weapons, stating that he might as well paint a giant bulls eye onto her, and C) because Nick Fury said "No uniform on a minor, not while I'm the director." Tony had sulked for four days straight, refusing to talk to anyone until Archer Rose told him that he could still plan a uniform, if he didn't build it yet.

"Natasha?" Archer Rose asked once they were in the van and on their way towards the hospital. "I keep forgetting to ask you- when's my birthday?"

The assassin turned to her daughter, who was sitting behind her.

"October 30th," she answered. "Let me guess- never had a birthday party?"

"Didn't have the time, or money," she answered causally, looking out the window as the scenery blurred together.

"We're here," grunted Clint as the pulled up to the hospital. There was a nurse and a doctor waiting out front to meet them as Clint carefully maneuvered the van into a parking spot and opened the doors for everyone to hop out.

"Hello, and thank you again for doing this, my name is Dr. Sawyers and this is Nurse Daniels, we're the heads of the hospital," explained the doctor, shaking hands all around. "Let us show you where you'll be set up, and later, you can walk around and visit our bedridden patients."

"Sounds like a plan," smiled Steve.

"Says the Star Spangled Man with a Plan!" teased Tony, earning him a suction cup arrow to the back of the head, curtsey of Archer Rose, who glared at him.

"I'll have to warn you, some of the kids are excited to meet you all," smiled Nurse Daniels as they entered a room where kids were coloring and doing puzzles.

"Look who's here!" called out the woman cheerfully. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked up. For a moment, it was quiet. Then, bright smiles erupted onto all faces as kids came over to hug their favorite superheroes.

For the next half an hour, Archer Rose watched as kids talked to the team, asking question about their powers and weapons. Thor, who was just being himself, lifted a dozen kids into the air, causing for Archer Rose to remind him to be on his best behavior. He smiled sheepishly and set them all down, to the amusement of everyone.

"Now, how about a story?" called out Archer Rose in a peppy voice, causing for all the kids to become excited. Thor recited bedtime stories from Asgard (Archer Rose had listened to each story and had forbade him from even mentioning half of the tales, due to grown up contents). After he had finished, the other team members came up and read to the large group of kids. While Captain America was reading, a little girl got up and climbed into his lap, to the joy of the adults. He just took it all in stride and paid extra attention to the girl, wrapping his arm around her so that she didn't fall off his lap and injure himself.

Archer Rose smiled as she watched the program going on around her. No doubt this would be the start of a great idea.


End file.
